Bonnets and Booties
by Red Devil
Summary: Logan gets an unexpected surprise and needs Veronica's help. AU. Set during s3.
1. Chapter 1

_**Booties and Bonnet's**_

_**Disclaimer: **__ I own nothing, not even this laptop I'm typing on. Seriously, all characters and anything you recognise from the show belong to Rob Thomas and the networks._

_**Chapter One: **_ A somewhat unexpected surprise.

**Summary: ** An unexpected surprise is left on Logan's door step and he call's Veronica for help. Set after Logan breaks up with Veronica in S3. Maybe allude to spoilers from the show but mostly AU.

_**Rating: **_ K.

-----vm----

As the elevator slowed to a stop, a ding signalling its arrival on the penthouse level, Logan adjusted his surfboard, and shook the remainder of the sand from his hair.

Another long day had been spent at the beach surfing with the usual crowd. Now he was in the mood for a long hot shower and a few beers with the guys who were due to arrive in a couple of hours with the pizza.

Logan managed to juggle his board and the wet bag of clothes just enough to open the door and let himself into the suite. Dumping his keys, phone and the bag on his table he was heading for the shower when a basket on the couch caught his eye. It hadn't been there when he left.

Walking over to it he was absolutely horrified when he saw what was nestled inside. Not a what really, but a whom. Wrapped in a blue blanket, sleeping soundly was a rather small baby.

He noticed a note towards the bottom and gingerly picked it up, all thoughts of the party later rapidly leaving his head. It was a hand written note on a white piece of paper; the message had been hastily scribbled.

_I'm sorry but I can't do this anymore. He needs his daddy and I know you'll take good care of him. Please keep him safe. I'll never forget what we had but I'm just not cut out to be a mother._

Holy crap, he thought. Surely this couldn't be his baby.

The little boy slept on as Logan carefully moved the blankets around searching for any further clues as to who the little boy's mother was. He found a baby book shoved down the side of the bassinet.

Flicking through the pages he learned that the baby's name was Noah and he was born on September the 24th, which made him about a month or so old, other details such as his birth weight, and medical history was there but there was no trace of anything pertaining to the baby's mother.

What should he do? Obviously someone had to have let them into the room so he picked up the phone and called down to the front desk.

"Oh hey Callie, it's Logan."

"I'm fine and you?"

"Oh good, listen someone delivered a parcel of sorts to my suite sometime in the last few hours do you know who it was or is there a record of anything?"

"There's not? No one remembers letting anyone in?"

"Ok thanks" he ended the call.

According to Callie at the front desk nothing had been delivered to Logan's suite via the front entry, and security wouldn't have let anyone deliver anything into the penthouse without authorisation.

Exhausting the current possibilities Logan sat down next to the baby to think about his next move.

He never had anything to do with babies in his life; given he had mostly been raised by nannies and had no younger siblings; he had no idea really what to do with a baby.

His thoughts were interrupted by a small whimpering sound coming from the basket, looking inside he saw the baby was starting to fuss. Terror filled him as he realised that full on screaming would soon follow and he had no clue how to stop it. He needed help and fast but who did you call in this situation?

------vm---

Veronica was sitting outside the Camelot motel waiting on a philandering husband to reappear from room 125 when he phone rang. Checking the caller i.d she saw it was Logan, slightly strange considering he hadn't called her since they had broken up and that was weeks ago now.

"Hello?" she answered her attention not completely focused on the call as she spotted the door to the room opening. She placed her phone on her shoulder holding it there with the side of her head as she focused the camera on the man emerging from the room.

"Veronica, its Logan. I need your help" he said

"Well that's a surprise" she commented sarcastically whilst clicking several shots of the man embracing the mystery woman.

"No seriously, Veronica. Can you come over, I have a situation that's fairly urgent" he pleaded with her. The baby's cries becoming louder in the background.

"Logan is that a baby crying? Where are you?" he had her full attention now.

"I'm in my room, when I got back from surfing I found a baby here, by itself and now it's crying and I don't know what to do with it" he was clearly starting to panic.

"As in someone left a baby on your doorstep? Figuratively speaking" she wanted to make sure she had her facts straight.

"Yes, exactly, now please just come and help me, I think it's hungry or something but there was nothing left with it except a pacifier. Please Veronica I don't know what else to do" he begged her.

"Ok, I'm coming I'll be there in about twenty minutes until then just try and soothe him by rocking him and giving him the pacifier" she advised ending the call.

What had he gotten himself into now? It was always something with Logan, she thought as she headed for the nearest pharmacy. If Logan was right and the person who had left the baby there had left no supplies she was going to need to pick up a few things.

Heading through the aisles she found the baby section and added some formula, bottles, nappies and wipes to the trolley. She paid for the purchases at the checkout and headed for the Grande.

As soon as the elevator doors opened she could hear the crying coming from Logan's room, figuring he had his hands full she out the bags on the ground and dug through her purse for the key she still had, using it to open the door.

"Oh thank god" Logan said as she put down the bags and walked over to where he was rocking the bassinet back and forth.

"Why didn't you pick him up?" she asked gently lifting the baby from the bassinet using one hand to support the back of his head.

"Well maybe because I've never held a baby and didn't know how" he retorted, amazed at how the baby's crying was subsiding as Veronica made soothing sounds.

"He's probably hungry" she remarked "How long has he been here?"

"Well I've been here about an hour now and I'm not sure how long he has been here, no one seems to know who left him" he watched her walk around the room with the baby propped against her shoulder one hand patting his back.

"First things first, let's feed and change him and then we'll work on figuring out who left him here. Does that fancy coffee machine you have here do boiled water?" she asked.

"Sure, but are you sure he wants water? And shouldn't it cool down first?" he pointed out.

She tried not to laugh at his lack of knowledge "Logan, you can't just give a baby an unsterilized bottle or tap water, it will make him sick, leave the bottle in boiling water for a few minutes to sterilise it, then you need to make the bottle of formula for him"

"and you know this how?" he asked, searching for a bowl which he then added then bottles to and covered them in boiling water.

"I used to babysit remember and I picked up some things from Duncan and the baby books he read" the baby was starting to fuss again, comfort alone no longer soothing him. Deciding it would be quicker for her to fix the bottle; she made to hand the baby to him.

"Uh uh "he had seen her intention "I don't know how I'll drop him"

"No you won't just sit down and I'll hand him to you" she instructed already heading for the couch.

Logan had sat down, figuring that seeing as she was helping him it was probably better that he follow her instructions rather than argue with her and risk her leaving.

"Here you go" she handed the baby to him, making sure he was using the crook of his arm to support the baby's head.

She returned to making the bottle, measuring two ounces of water and adding two scoops of formula, she then sat it in a cup of cool water to cool down.

When the bottle was cool enough she took the baby back from Logan and settled onto the lounge, holding him securely while offering him the bottle which he hungrily took.

"Logan, can you please get me a towel?" she asked preparing to burp the baby.

Logan headed into the bathroom and returned with a clean towel, handing it to her.

She spread it out across the back of her shoulder before propping the baby up against her and patting his back.

"What's the towel for?" he asked.

The baby let out a burp followed by some milk.

"That" she answered him.

Satisfied that she had winded him enough she fed him some more of the bottle, until he fell asleep leaving a small amount of milk in the bottom. "Well he seems satisfied with that; I wasn't sure how much he would take. Every baby is different"

She stood up carefully and walked into Logan's room laying the baby down gently on the bed. "Just watch him for a moment" she said leaving the room. She was back less than a minute later, nappies and wipes in hand.

"I'm guessing that since you didn't know how to feed him you certainly have no clue how to change him?" she stated, leaning over the bed to unbutton the all in one the baby was wearing.

Logan just shook his head. This was definitely a side to Veronica he had never seen.

"Well, watch closely" she instructed, removing the wet nappy and securing a dry one on the little boy.

"So does he have a name?" she had been so busy tending to the baby that she hadn't even thought to ask.

"According to the baby book his name is Noah, and he's about a month old" he told her, watching as she wrapped the baby back up in his blanket and settled him in the bassinet.

"Ok, now he's settled for hopefully a few hours I think you had better tell me everything." Her tone was more curious than accusatory "And Logan? I'll know if you're lying"

---vm—

AN: Tell me what you think.


	2. Logan goes shopping

**Bonnet's and Booties**

**Disclaimer:** Again i own nothing except the flash drive i am saving this to. Rob Thomas and the networks own everythong else.

**Chapter Two: **Logan goes shopping

**Rating: **K+

**AN:** I was really surprised by the amount of reviews i got for the last chapter, i honestly expected that nobody would be too interested. It's great. Keep reviewing and i'll keep writing.

* * *

"So basically what you're saying is that you went surfing, came back and found a baby here?" she confirmed.

"That's exactly what I am saying" he said

"That doesn't give us a lot to go on" she walked around the room looking for any clues that may have been left by the baby's mother or person who left him here.

"I was gone for hours,Veronica. He wasn't here at nine when I left, but was here when I got home at four" he watched her progress.

"Well I'm assuming that whoever left him here was here with him until you came back, small babies like that usually only sleep a few hours at a time which means he's only been left recently. My guess is that they waited until they saw you arrive in the car park and then they left" she said coming back from the balcony where Logan's car was clearly visiblein the car park below.

"I hope so" he didn't want to think that someone could actually dump a baby for hours by itself "So where do I go from here? Should I call Lamb?" he had no clue how to locate Noah's mother.

"I wouldn't, but that's me. I think we should give it a few days. She might panic and come back, if we call in the welfare services they will probably take him away, but it's your call Logan, it's your baby after all" wow, that hurt. Logan has a baby. It was easy when she was feeding and changing him, too focused on Noah's needs but now they were discussing it, it was hitting home, Hard.

"I'm not sure he's my baby Veronica. Don't you think I would have known something about him before now if he was?" he snapped at her, and then regretted doing so. He was in shock that was the only explanation.

"Look I'm sorry, this is just huge. How do I deal with this?"

"Are you sure there was nothing else left with him? No clothes or supplies at least?" she asked him hoping he had forgotten something.

"No. Nothing, what kind of person does that?" He couldn't believe someone could actually leave their baby. Sure his mom left him but at least he was old enough to pretty much take care of himself.

"Someone who is desperate and doesn't know what else to do I'm guessing" her search of the suite had turned up nothing helpful.

"Well seeing as he has nothing you are going to need a few things, for the next few days at least. You can get most things at a department store, a few changes of clothes, and some spare bedding at least, also some more bottles would probably be a good idea. Think you can handle that?" she smirked at him.

"Me? No way. I'm not going shopping for baby things" he stated.

"Ok fine, give me your card and I'll go. He will probably wake again soon, so just change him and make another bottle, if you drop his pacifier be sure to sit in it the boiling water." She held out her hand for his credit card.

Logan had paled considerably at the thought of what she had just said, feed and change the baby by himself? No way. "On second thought I love baby shopping how hard could it be?" he was up off the couch and collecting his keys and phone.

"Thought you might say that" she grinned at him pushing him out the door.

* * *

Logan wandered up and down the baby section of Kmart feeling completely bewildered. Who would have thought that tiny people need so much stuff? The last time he had shopped for anyone other than himself was when he had brought Veronica some lingerie, then that was fairly easy. He had walked into Victoria's Secret flashed them his black card and they had fawned all over him helping him select what he needed. He was in and out in less than fifteen minutes, whereas he had already spent twenty walking through this section and the trolley was still empty.

He was happy to see a grandmotherly looking store employee come over to him.

"Hi, can I help you with something? You look a little lost" her voice was kind as if she dealt with frazzled looking young men in a baby section every day.

"Yes, please" He smiled at her "I have no idea what I need, I have this baby that just arrived and I have nothing for it. It was rather unexpected, so I was sent here to get supplies"

"Let's start with what you have already. What do you have for the bubs? And is it a boy or girl?" she asked him.

"A little boy, and so far we have two bottles, a blanket, a pacifier, some formula, nappies and wipes." He rattled of the list on his fingers.

"Well that helps a little and how big is he?" she walked over to the clothes racks, Logan following her with the trolley.

"About this big" he held his hands a small distance apart to demonstrate Noah's length.

"I suggest quite a few of these then. She handed him some small bond suits off the rack in blue green and white. They are the easiest with a newborn seeing as they are constantly dirtying them" She moved along the rack handing him some booties, singlets and a few little beanie type hats. "This should get you started for clothes, come this way and we'll get you some bedding" she walked to a different part of the section and he again followed her.

"Any particular preference?" she asked "And is it a cot or a bassinet?"

"He's sleeping in the basket he arrived in at the moment" did it class as either of those things? he wondered.

"Take one of these" she handed him a snuggle bed. "It works really well for newborns, you can have him sleep in the bed with you without the risk of rolling on him or put the bed anywhere safe. It will help him to feel secure too, babies hate having too much space at this point in their lives"

Wow babies were definitely more complex than he had ever thought them to be. A few more aisles later and his trolley was almost over flowing with 'needed' items.

"I'm assuming that you have a car seat he came home in, but what about a pram?" they were in the section that sold prams now, Logan feeling more over whelmed by the minute, maybe feeding the baby would have been easier.

"I don't have a pram or a car seat" he informed her.

"How did you bring him home then? You must have a safe car seat, it's the law but it's also really dangerous for a baby to be unsecured in a car "she pointed out to him.

"I didn't bring him home, someone else did" he replied.

"Well I suggest this one, it's an all in one, newborn to four years, plus it clips out of the car and works as a carrier, easy for transporting him in, and until you decide what type of pram you want I suggest just a basic one. Mothers are usually best at picking out those types of things and most people usually have two or three before they find one that suits" she demonstrated the features of the pram she was talking about.

Logan desperately wanted to point out that he probably wouldn't need two or three prams. He most likely didn't even need one as Veronica would figure this out and the baby would be safely back with its mother before long, then there was that little issue of it probably not being his anyway so he refused to get too attached.

"Thank you, for your help" he told the sales lady as she helped him through the check out and out to his car with all the purchases.

"That's no problem honey" she answered "You just make sure you and your partner enjoy the little one, this is a special time and will be gone before you know it" she handed him the last bag and headed back to the store.

* * *

"Veronica. Are you still here?" Logan called out to her holding open the door for the bell hops to bring his purchases in.

"Of course I'm still here Logan, where else would I go?" she said in an annoyed tone, coming back out of his room having just settled the baby again. "And what in the hell took you so –"she stopped short at seeing all the bags and boxes being unloaded into the room.

"A sales lady helped me. She said this is everything I had to have" he informed her, digging through the bags and pulling out some more bottles and a sterilising unit.

"Apparently, newborns are needy" he quipped opening the box and looking for the instructions.

It looked like he had brought out the entire store but at least he was making an effort, she thought. While he had been gone and before the baby woke up again she had gone through the baby book Logan had mentioned. It had the important details for the baby but the mother had done a pretty good job of covering her identity. The name of the hospital the baby had been born at had been inked out along with all of her details. At first she had thought the mother had dumoed the baby at Logan's out of desperation, but the more she looked into it the more it looked like it had been carefully planned, all except for actually leaving anything of use for the baby.

* * *

Thanks again for reading. Just click on the review button and tell me what you think. 


	3. Alone with Noah

**Bonnett's and Booties**

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing from the show, all characters and anything you recognise belongs to Rob Thomas and the networks.

**Chapter Three: **Alone with Noah

**AN: **Thankyou to everyone who had reviewed i'm literally blown away by the response to this story. I wasn't planning on posting another chapter so soon but all the reviews spurred me on. I'll delve into the plot questions more in the next few chapters, but i'm having fun letting Logan deal with the reality of looking after a baby. I know I'm evil.

* * *

After Logan had arrived back from his shopping spree he and Veronica had spent an hour setting up the suite in order to efficiently look after the baby. The bottles had been sterilised and were made and chilling in the fridge ready for the next feed. Veronica had gone through his purchases and had commented that he had done well. He had felt his heart swell slightly at that comment. 

The clothes were folded in neat piles and Veronica had set up a make do change area with all the essential items to keep Noah in clean nappies. He was exhausted and he hadn't even done any of the real work yet. He was dozing on the lounge when Veronica shook him awake.

"Logan, I have to go" she told him quietly so as not to wake up the baby.

"What? You can't leave me here. I don't know what to do." He pleaded with her.

"I'm sorry but I have to go, I have a few things to do at the office and I need to finish off an assignment due for criminal psychology tomorrow, and not to mention studying for a test in criminology. I'm sorry I can't stay any longer." She explained.

"But what do I do when he cries? I've never babysat remember and I don't have maternal instincts. It doesn't come naturally to me. Please, please don't go." He suddenly had an idea "I'll pay you, however much you want" he tried.

"It's not about the money you know that, I have to go. Just try it by yourself, you might be surprised at what you can do." She smiled reassuringly at him "and I have my phone if you need to ask anything, I'll check on you later" she found her bag buried beneath a pile of blankets and gathered up her jacket before heading to her car.

* * *

All went well for another hour or so until the knocking on the suite door woke up Noah. Logan checked through the peep hole. It was the guys from surfing earlier with a pizza and some beer. He was in no state to entertain and had no way of explaining his current predicament so he chose to ignore them instead. After a few more loud knocks they got the picture and left, but the loud noises had woken up Noah. 

"Come here little guy" Logan told him gently picking him up the way Veronica had shown him earlier.

"Are you hungry?" he asked the baby walking over to the fridge to get a bottle warmed up. He managed to get the bottle out of the fridge one handed, but had trouble unscrewing the teat.

"Damn it" he swore as the milk spilt all over the carpet. The loud tone of Logan's voice caused Noah to cry louder.

"Hey, shh I wasn't yelling at you. I just can't do this with one hand" he sat the baby on the floor and carefully stepped over him retrieving another bottle from the fridge. Finally he had managed to warm the bottle and pick the baby back up.

Settling himself in the corner of the lounge he held Noah in one arm and offered him the bottle with his other hand. He watched in amazement as the little boy drank slowly from the bottle his blue eyes staring fixatedly on Logan. His thoughts once again returned to the baby's mother. Who could she be and why hadn't she told him she was pregnant? Logan tried to do the calculations in his head. If Noah was born in September and a pregnancy takes about nine months then that would put his conception date around January this year.

Senior year at high school, January was when the winter carnival was on and he was seeing Hannah on and off. Of course Kendall was still there whenever he wanted a booty call and he shamefully admitted to himself that there had been a fair few others, mostly after drunken parties that he had little memory of. What a proud moment, but what he was really dreading was telling Veronica all these dirty little secrets, as if she didn't think lowly of him enough at times. This really was the icing on the cake.

Noah had finished drinking most of the milk and Logan put him over his shoulder and patted his back like Veronica had done earlier, after a few minutes the baby burped – and threw up all over his $150 shirt. Perfect.

So now his shirt was ruined and Noah was covered in his own sick. This night was getting better by the minute. He stripped his shirt off and picked up Noah holding him as far away from him as he could without dropping him, and carried him over to the changing area.

He undid the press studs on the suit and threw it in the bin, along with the singlet and his own soiled shirt. He undid his nappy and pulled it down; luckily it was just wet, he was really dreading the time he would have to deal with a soiled one. Hopefully Veronica would be back by then. Just as he was leaning over Noah to get some wipes he felt a hot stream of liquid hit his chest. Horrified he looked down to see that the baby was peeing on him.

"What the hell?" he quickly pulled the nappy back up over the boy while he reached for a wet wipe to clean off his chest. Veronica never warned him about that.

Waiting until he was sure that Noah must be finished he put a new nappy underneath him and did it up. He went through the pile of clothing and gently pulled a green singlet on the little boy and redressed him in a green bonds suit, wrapping him back up in his blanket and laying him gently on the snuggle bed, secretly proud of himself for having managed on his own.

This wasn't so hard after all. He ordered some room service and decided to have a hot shower while he waited. It was pure bliss feeling the hot water running over him, he had almost forgotten the day's events until he turned the water off and realised that Noah was screaming, very loudly.

"Shit" he had forgotten that he hadn't checked wether the baby was sleeping before he got in the shower. Wrapping a towel loosely around his waist he headed for the baby and picked him up, holding him close. He put him over his shoulder out of habit and patted his back. Noah let out a small burp, not followed by any milk. "Thank god for small miracles" Logan silently added.

He tried to put the baby back down again but every time he did it resulted in Noah screaming louder. Sometime during all the commotion his room service had been delivered and was now getting cold on its tray. Logan was still only wearing a towel and his patience was wearing thin.

Where the hell was Veronica? He found his phone and after two attempts managed to dial Veronica's number one handed. The first time he tried her it went to voice mail, thankfully when he tried again five minutes later she answered.

"Miss me already?" she asked.

"He won't stop crying" Logan complained.

"Have you fed him? She asked.

"Of course" he retorted "and I event tried to give him another bottle but he won't take it"

"Changed him?" she suggested

"Yes Veronica, I even changed his clothes when he spewed on them. He just won't stop I've done everything I can. Please you have to come back" he begged her

"Alright, let me get a few things and I'll be back, but you're sleeping on the couch" she told him.

* * *

By the time Veronica had packed a change of clothes and her supplies for the next day of classes and made her way to Logan's it had been almost half an hour. She had let herself into the suite and found Logan pacing back and forth with the baby on his shoulder, wearing nothing but a towel. The suite was a disaster; it looked like a bomb had gone off. There was spilt milk on the floor, along with empty bottles on the lounge, more than one nappy lay discarded and she noticed the bin was overflowing with clothes. 

She dumped her stuff on the floor and took Noah from Logan.

"Hey little guy" she soothed "do you have a bad pain, huh?" she placed him against her shoulder and used the back of her hand massaging it up his back. His cries softened a little but his tiny face was still screwed up in pain. "I think he has wind" she told Logan.

"Let's give him a bath, sometimes it helps" she walked into the bathroom and started to fill the basin with warm water.

"Are you going to put him in there?" Logan queried her.

"Yes, he's only small he'll fit" she replied turning to the baby "won't you?" she continued to make soft soothing sounds whilst undressing him.

Once she had finished taking off his clothes she laid him in the basin carefully supporting his head and using her other hand to splash the warm water over his tummy. Eventually his cries quietened down to soft whimpers and she got him out of the basin wrapping him in a soft fluffy towel.

"How did you do that?" Logan asked her returning to the bathroom. He had left to get dressed whilst Veronica was bathing Noah and was amazed when the baby's distressed cries had stopped.

"He has wind. Putting him in the warm water eased the pain and letting him kick his legs probably helped move the wind around. Watch" she had finished redressing him and put him over her shoulder. The baby let out two huge burps which sounded entirely too big to come from someone so little.

"See" she told Logan. "He should sleep now he's exhausted"

Sure enough the baby's eyes were closing as she wrapped him in his blanket and settled him back to bed. Logan looked exhausted himself. She had to give him some credit though; he had tried and lasted three hours longer than she had thought he would.

"Why don't you get some sleep" she suggested "I'll clean up here and make him some fresh bottles. He'll probably wake a few times during the night and you'll be by yourself in the morning, I can't miss my test" she said picking up the articles of clothing strewn everywhere.

"You're a life saver" Logan told her heading for his bed. He was too tired to argue with her about her leaving the next day, which could wait until after he had had some sleep.

* * *

OK so please review and tell me what you think, should i keep it going? Thanks again for reading. 


	4. Keith meets Noah

_I own nothing, not even this laptop I'm typing on. Seriously, all characters and anything you recognise from the show belong to Rob Thomas and the networks._

_**Chapter Four: **Keith meets Noah_

_**Summary: **An unexpected surprise is left on Logan's door step and he call's Veronica for help. Set after Logan breaks up with Veronica in S3. May allude to spoilers from the show but mostly AU._

_**Rating: **K._

_**AN: **I'm trying to get the timeline to line up with the show but seeing as i dont have season three on DVD yet alot is from memory. Season three never aired on tv over here, and my computer that has the episodes on is having a hissy fit._

_I cant reveal too much yet as far as maternity/paternity of Noah goes because that would ruin the surprise. In fan land this story will have a timeline of about three weeks with one or two chapters for each day. To me it wouldn't be realistic for Logan to keep the baby without finding out if he was really his, and if it was my baby i'd do it sooner than later._

**Lady Sarcasm: **_Wallace and Keith finding out was just for you, hope it didn't let you down._

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed i love reading each and every one of them, i will try and post at least one chapter daily if i keep getting all these reviews. It's great to know ppl like reading this._

_

* * *

_

Logan shook Veronica awake gently so as not to wake a sleeping Noah who was nestled in her arms. He would walk over hot coals before admitting to anyone that he had just spent the last fifteen minutes watching the serene scene and picturing that this was there reality, their baby.

"Hey" he greeted her, reaching down to take Noah from her. "Its seven already, I went and got some red bull but if you don't get moving you'll be late."

Veronica stretched and picked herself up from the couch. She was pretty shore that was the longest night she had ever seen. Noah had woken at one while she was putting the finishing touches on her assignment and he hadn't resettled until well after five this morning, they had tried everything but nothing worked for well for long before he was crying again.

In the end Veronica had given in and sat down on the couch reclining slightly with Noah snuggled on her chest. Logan had gotten up to help her more than once but Noah had made it plainly obvious that Logan wasn't what he wanted. In the end Veronica had sent him back to bed, informing him there was no point to them both being exhausted.

Logan had felt bad about leaving her alone with the baby but she was right. He was never a good morning person at the best of times, and patients weren't something he was known for.

Veronica showered quickly and dressed, her exam was at eight. She felt terrible for Noah, it was obvious that he knew something was wrong and that was probably a major part of him being so unsettled, that and the fact that Logan had over fed him and under burped him.

Logan was changing Noah's nappy when she arrived back in the living area.

"He wet through, so I thought he might be uncomfortable" he told her.

"Are you sure you will be okay with him? I don't want to leave but I can't miss this test" she hoped that for both of their sakes Noah would sleep the majority of the morning while she was gone.

"We'll be fine" he said. She wasn't sure if he was reassuring her or himself.

"Okay, I should be back by about twelve at the latest, I'll bring some lunch" she stroked Noah's cheek gently before leaving.

Wallace was right, she thought on her way to the car. I really am a marshmallow, in reality I should probably want nothing to do with the baby Logan has to someone else but I can't help but feel something for him. She reminded herself not to get too attached to him and headed for Hearst.

* * *

Logan had settled Noah down and was busy making a list. A list of all the girls he could remember sleeping with during the appropriate time period. The number was already up to eleven as he added another name, he was more and more disgusted with himself the higher the numbers went, sure he had been hurting badly at that time and mostly it was in an effort of trying to make Veronica jealous but he had never been one to sleep around before then and he was paying for it now.

In the past hour he had gone from thinking that the baby probably wasn't his, to resigning himself to the fact it most likely was. Anyone one of these girls could be the mother and he hadn't seen any of them since high school finished.

Noah woke again at around ten and Logan successfully fed, changed and resettled him, by the time Veronica arrived back he had made a few lists, he had never been this organised in his life.

The first list was the original one of his one night stands, he tucked that one safely away hoping there was another way around it before showing Veronica.

The second list was for the supplies they were running low on

The third was a general to do list, which included take a leave of absence from Hearst, talk to lawyers so on and so forth.

The last list was names of people that might be able to help him out; the only name on it was of Mrs. Nevarro, Weevil's grandma. He knew that she was getting on in age and she seemed frail at the graduation a while back but perhaps she would have some ideas. A visit to her was something he should do soon.

"Hey Logan" Veronica greeted him, yawning "How did it go?"

"Better than I thought" he said truthfully. "I've only fed him twice, and other than that he's been sleeping"

"Half your luck" she commented "Do you mind if I take a nap? I'm exhausted and then once I wake we should really get started on trying to find out who Noah's mother is. Have you thought of anything that could help while I was out?"

"Nothing useful in that regard" he smiled at her hoping she wouldn't see through him.

She didn't she was too tired for her lying detector to react. She headed to the bedroom to take a quick nap on Logan's bed.

* * *

Logan was talking to Noah when Veronica reappeared two hours later. He had finished changing him and he didn't want to sleep. Logan watched him with wonder as the little boy's eyes grew wide at the different tones in Logan's voice.

"I am starving" Veronica stated. "What do you have to eat here?" she searched the fridge, disappointed when she discovered it held on formula bottles and water.

"Not much, you could order room service if you want, or maybe we should go out. I could definitely use a change of scenery and Noah might like it too." He suggested.

"That's not the worst idea" she agreed. "Oh you pack him a bag with a bottle or two and some nappies, wipes and a change of clothes. I'll just freshen up and we can go"

When she returned from the bathroom Logan was finishing strapping Noah into his car seat.

"Wow" Veronica exclaimed "You're really getting the hang of this whole parenting thing"

"It's not half bad when you start figuring it out" he said picking up the carrier in one hand and the bag of baby supplies in the other. They locked the door behind them and headed down to Logan's car.

A few minutes later Noah was safely secured in the back seat and Veronica was driving. Logan had insisted on sitting back with him so he could make sure the car seat stayed buckled.

Upon reaching the boardwalk they had settled Noah into the pram Logan had bought yesterday and were wandering along peacefully looking for something appetising to eat. Veronica was pushing the pram and Logan carrying the backpack with Noah's things in it.

* * *

Wallace was walking along the boardwalk chatting to Darrel about basketball. Alicia and Keith were following behind engrossed in their conversation when Wallace stopped abruptly causing Keith to almost fall over him.

"Wallace?" Alicia questioned "Is something wrong"

"I think we just entered through a quantum leap of some sort?" his attention was focused across the other side of the boardwalk.

Keith had followed Wallace's line of vision and had now registered what had made him stop so abruptly. There on the other side of the boardwalk was Veronica pushing a pram with Logan walking along beside her looking the picture of domestic bliss.

"Here is the point where I say that I think Veronica is keeping something from me" he said walking over to where the pair were.

Veronica was eating the last of her fries and telling Logan about her criminology test when she realised there was someone coming over to her.

"Logan, I apologise in advance" she told him.

"What?" he asked confused until she pointed to Keith Mars striding towards them. "Oh" now he understood.

"Hi honey, Logan and baby who last time I checked wasn't Veronica's. Is there something you have been meaning to tell me?" He kidded but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. It had been years since Veronica had babysat so that was an unlikely explanation and none of her friends had kids except Duncan and he had a daughter a lot older than the little boy in the pram.

"Hi dad, and the Fennel family" she greeted her dad and the others as they joined him.

"Logan and I were just taking a walk" she gestured to the pram

"Hey Veronica I didn't know you had a baby" Darrel said leaning over the pram to talk to Noah.

"I don't" she told him "Logan does. Or at least we think he does"

"I don't get it" Wallace said.

"Yesterday when Logan got home from surfing he found Noah waiting for him in his room with a note saying he needs his dad. Now before you say anything dad I know that we should call child services but I just need a few days to figure this out first. We're hoping that his mom will panic when she comes to her senses and come back for him, failing that I'm going to start searching for her myself. If it is his baby then Logan doesn't want Lamb and everyone else involved, or worse the press. Please don't say anything to anyone just for a few days." She explained to them.

"You don't think you two with a baby isn't going to make anyone ask questions?" Wallace pointed out

"We'll just say that Logan is taking care of Noah for his cousin while she is sick" She improvised.

"Fair enough, but when you get home Veronica we need a little talk, this is a serious situation not something you can take a risk with" he cautioned her.

"I know dad, we want to do the right thing, but right now we think the best thing is taking good care of Noah and seeing what I can find out" she pleaded with him.

"Ok, I'll come over to the Grande later and we can go over what you know" he compromised.

* * *

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	5. Having the hard conversations

_****__****__****__** Bonnet's and Booties**_

_**Disclaimer: **_Insert the funniest one you know here, in other words I own nothing. It all belongs to Rob Thomas and the networks.

_**Chapter Five: **_Having the hard conversations.

**AN: **The idea of Keith seeing Logan's list was from Lady Sarcasm. The press lurking around was for Wanabee.

Thanks for all the reviews, as always please leave more, i'll try and work your ideas in if they fit with the plot.

* * *

Veronica had dropped Logan and Noah back at the Grande and then headed home to see her dad. Keith had said he would come over to the Grande later but Veronica knew that the conversation he had mentioned was probably something she didn't want to do in front of Logan.

"Dad, I'm home" she called letting the door slam behind her.

"Veronica, I was just getting ready to come over to Logan's" Keith told her buttoning up his shirt. His hair was still wet making it obvious he had just gotten out of the shower.

"I know and that's why I thought I'd catch you before you left. I'm assuming you still want to have that conversation?" she flopped down on the couch preparing for his onslaught.

"Why don't you tell me again exactly how Logan came to have a baby?" he sat down opposite her giving her his full attention.

"You mean no one ever gave you THAT talk" she exclaimed.

The look he gave her shut her up instantly.

"It's pretty much as we told you before, Logan came home yesterday to find Noah waiting for him in his room. All that was left with him was his baby book, all details of the mother and his place of birth erased. She didn't even leave anything for him Logan had to go and spend a small fortune on baby stuff to get him through. There was a note, nothing revealing it just said that she couldn't do it anymore and he needs his dad." That was pretty much everything he needed to know.

"Honey, it just doesn't sit right, the more I think of it the more it doesn't fit." He was drumming his fingers on the side of the couch running different possibilities through his head.

"If you had a baby to a rich guy wouldn't you demand some sort of compensation, child support etc Logan is fairly well off, I'm sure more than one girl has tried to trap him that way for his money" that would be logical if the mother had stayed but why just dump her newborn son?

"I just don't want you to get too attached until you know more, what if the baby isn't Logan's? That's a real possibility, but most importantly we need to locate Noah's mother. I want to respect your wishes so I'll give you until Saturday to try and track her down after that it has to be reported." He told her.

"But that's less than two days" she pointed out.

"In my experience as sheriff if the mother is going to reappear she would do it by then, other than that you have to use the appropriate channels. Saturday, no exceptions" his tone let her know that his decision was final.

"Fine, I'm going back to Logan's" she said heading towards her room to pack some fresh clothes.

* * *

Logan sensed Veronica's bad mood the moment she entered the room.

"It went well huh?" he asked taking her bags from her.

"Fabulously" she said sarcastically "no he's just worried. He's entitled to apparently, being my dad" she watched Logan finish picking up the baby things lying around the room. Noah was obviously sleeping in the next room.

"What if he's not yours Logan, how likely is it that he is?" she asked him.

He had been wondering when they would reach this point. He silently cursed Keith for Veronica's bad mood. Should he tell her about the long list of his drunken conquests? He decided to see if he could hold off a while longer.

"Honestly? I'm not sure." He braced himself for what he thought would come next.

"Not sure?" she repeated. "Not sure?" she asked again her voice rising slightly. "How can you not be sure?" she demanded.

Here it is the confrontation that Logan has desperately wanted to avoid.

"Well if I was his mother then I'd be sure having given birth to him, but I'm not. I've never been a saint Veronica, you know that and you know that I had a hard time dealing with things last year, so I guess what I'm saying then is yes it's entirely possible that he could be mine, but as to why the mother never told me I don't know" he avoided looking at her, not wanting to see the disgust that he was sure she would have on her face.

Veronica was trying hard not to let herself get too worked up over the fact Logan had just admitted in a roundabout way that he slept around during senior year.

"Look before you start" he tried to head her off "you dumped me remember so it shouldn't matter to you what I did or with who. You were too busy caring about Duncan and his shit to remember me, I appreciate that you're here now but please don't go all high and mighty on my arse." He walked closer to her.

"I'm trying not to judge, Logan, seriously I'm trying here. But there is a little boy in there who has been dumped by his mother and the only chance of us finding her might be for you to be honest with me and try and pick through the memories of drunken one night stands in order to find some information we can use." Her face was devoid of emotion, but something caught in her voice.

"Look let's just focus on finding Noah's mother then we can deal with the rest from there ok?" he begged.

"Fine, listen you seem to be doing fine here I think I should go" she picked up her bag and headed back towards the door, wanting to avoid arguing with Logan and minimising the chance of saying something they both would regret.

* * *

Logan finished strapping Noah into his car seat carrier just as there was a knock on the door. A small part of him hoped Veronica had come back to talk and he could apologise for snapping at her which in the most part was die to stress and over tiredness, but she would have used her key card and let herself in.

Opening the door he found Keith Mars waiting on the other side. "Good morning Logan" the older man greeted him.

"Mr Mars" Logan returned politely "Come in" he walked back onside with Keith following him.

"So this is little Noah" Keith held out his thumb which Noah enclosed in his tiny fingers.

"Veronica came home last night in a particularly bad mood. I'm guessing you had an argument" he continued focusing his attention on the baby in the hope that Logan wouldn't feel too intimidated and might open up to him.

"Yes, I'm good at upsetting her" he confirmed.

"Logan, I'm going to be honest with you, usually I wouldn't get involved in things that aren't my business unless someone pays me of course" he joked " but I'm worried about you both. Obviously I'm looking out for my daughter but I won't deny having a soft spot for you either. I feel I owe you my daughter's life if you hadn't saved her from the Casablancas kid-"he trailed off.

"I don't want to hurt Veronica; I just want to do the right thing. I'm taking Noah for a paternity test now, I never wanted a baby, he wasn't in my plan but now that he's here I have to be a good father, I hope you can understand that" he told Keith.

"I do understand Logan; I just don't want to see either of you get too attached or hurt because of it. What will you do if Noah isn't yours after all?" He watched Logan packing nappies and bottles into the baby bag.

Logan thought for a minute before answering Keith.

"It's simple really, I'm going to treat him as my own for now, that way if he is mine then I have no regrets about not treating him properly" he zipped up the bag

"And if he's not?" Keith asked.

"Well then I've done something good for someone else for once then haven't I?" he pointed out. "He's a baby Keith and he doesn't deserve this"

"No he doesn't" he agreed "For what it's worth Logan, I admire you for doing this and I'm happy you have decided to do the test today, better sooner than later. Do you have anything at all that could help me with this?" he saw the young man hesitate, and then he added "Veronica doesn't have to know. I won't judge you Logan, I was young once too and you've had a lot to deal with and I'm guessing not much support"

"You won't hold it against me or tell Veronica?" he clarified.

"No we'll think of it as client privilege" he assured him.

Logan left the room for a short time and returned with a list in his hand.

"These are the girls I remember sleeping with during that time; actually I'm not even sure I slept with most of them because there were a lot of drunken parties and those are the ones I remember making out with, and seeing as I did a lot of drinking and passing out there's no guarantee that i actually had sex with them. There's also Kendall and Hannah Griffiths" he handed it over to him.

Keith raised his eyebrows but said nothing.

"Hannah Griffiths as in Dr Tom Griffith's daughter?" he asked.

"Yes" Logan confirmed.

"Well I'm pretty sure it's neither Kendall Casablancas nor Hannah Griffiths" he informed him.

"How can you be sure?" he didn't think Keith knew either of those girls.

"Well Kendall Casablancas is dead and buried somewhere in the dessert and if it was Hannah's baby you'd be dead. The Fitzpatrick's would have taken care of you. I know how protective Dr Griffith's is of his daughter and his connection to our favourite drug gang." He picked up Noah's carrier and handed him to Logan.

"I'll see what I can find out in the meantime, just call me when you know something with the results"

"Thanks Keith" Logan shook his hand as the older man left.

* * *

Logan had been waiting in the waiting room for a good hour before the nurse had gotten around to calling them in.

"I see you have requested a DNA test Mr. Echolls" she stated waiting for him to confirm.

"Yes I did, I would really like to know if Noah is my biological son. How long do the results take to come back?" he asked her. The quicker the better but he was incredibility nervous at the same time. He had been so focused on caring for the baby he hadn't thought about the long term effects.

"There is two ways we can do the test; I can take a drop of blood from both of you, which is generally the fastest as we can test the DNA here. It may be uncomfortable for Noah though, or we can take a cheek swab, but we have to send it away so the results will take longer to get" she explained.

He thought about it closely, a cheek swab is painless but takes longer. He didn't think he could handle watching the little boy scream with pain it was bad enough when he had wind, Logan didn't want to be responsible for causing him pain if it wasn't necessary.

"Please do the cheek swab" he signed the few forms she had handed him before.

It was another half hour before Logan and Noah were free to go and Logan was trying his best to shield Noah form the sun as they left the hospital that he failed to see the photographer lurking nearby.

* * *

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	6. The First Clue

_**Bonnets and Booties**_

_**Disclaimer: **__I own nothing, not even this laptop I'm typing on. Seriously, all characters and anything you recognise from the show belong to Rob Thomas and the networks._

_**Chapter Six : The First Clue**_

_**Summary: **__An unexpected surprise is left on Logan's door step and he call's Veronica for help. Set after Logan breaks up with Veronica in S3. Maybe allude to spoilers from the show but mostly AU._

_**Rating: **__K._

* * *

_Early Saturday Morning_

Veronica finished feeding Noah his bottle and smiled at the little boy who was busy staring up at her with his big blue eyes. After spending most of yesterday avoiding Logan, guilt had eventually won out and had returned to the Grande late last night figuring that if Noah had been unsettled the previous night Logan would likely need a rest.

Sadly, Logan had been right in what he had said to her and although she would rather swallow razor blades than admit that to him, she had slowly started to accept it within herself.

She had spent much of the afternoon looking into possible leads but as yet had come up with nothing. It was downright frustrating.

Giving in to temporary defeat and heavy guilt she had returned to the boys just after eleven, the room was silent when she had arrived so she used her key card to enter instead of waking the baby by knocking too loudly.

She found them both asleep in the room, Logan had moved Noah's snuggle bed into his bed and it was a serene picture that she had come across. With all of her assignments done she had nothing else to work on so busied herself making Noah some fresh bottles and cleaning up the place. She giggled as she found the bin overflowing with wet jumpsuits and reminded herself to teach Logan how to wash them, it must be costing him a fortune buying the baby new clothes every time he ran out.

Noah first woke at just after one. When she heard him stirring she crept quietly into the bedroom and moved both him and the snuggle bed into the room that Duncan used to have, that way Logan could have some peace.

Luck had been on her side for once and the baby had slept through until just after seven. Logan had woken around eight in a panic because the baby had disappeared but had calmed down when he saw Veronica was with him and headed for a shower.

If was just after eleven now, and things had settled down peacefully when there was a knock at the door.

Veronica got up to answer it and was shocked to find Trina waiting outside.

"Oh hi Veronica" Trina said in her completely false voice, brushing past Veronica and into the room.

Trina headed straight for the baby who was in the bassinet, dumping some magazines on the table on the way.

"Come and say hello to Aunty Trina" she cooed picking Noah up.

"Logan?" Veronica called "I seriously think you had better come out here"

* * *

Logan was just finishing brushing his teeth when he heard Veronica call for him, the tone in her voice was one of annoyance which never meant anything good. He dried his face on the hand towel and walked into the living area.

"Logan, you never told me you had a baby" Trina chastised in a sweet voice. She turned to Veronica "I didn't realise it was that serious, but oh hey, you look great, like you never gained an ounce"

"I didn't" Veronica retorted

"Oh lucky you" Trina continued in between making gooing noises at Noah.

Veronica opened her mouth to retort again but was silenced by Logan's pleading look and desperate shaking of his head "no"

"Trina what are you doing here?" he demanded taking Noah from her.

"Well little brother I was in L.A doing a shoot and imagine my surprise when I get a call from ET asking me to comment on my brother's mystery love child. Then I saw the picture of you leaving the hospital bringing him home and I just had to come and meet him for myself." She smiled brightly, completely unaware of how unwelcome she was.

"Lucky us" he handed Noah to Veronica and turned to face Trina. "Seriously though this was never mean to be in the press and if I find out that you have sold them one damn snippet I'll cut you off completely" his eyes flashed dangerously, his words menacing.

"Well obviously I'm not wanted" she huffed. "I'll be going then but Logan I expect you to stay in contact"

"I'll eagerly await your call" he bit at her "It's about due soon isn't it, or have you found some rich guy to latch on to and have decided to stop bludging off me?"

She ignored his comment.

"It was nice seeing you again Veronica" she smiled warmly at her giving Noah a kiss on his forehead on her way out.

"Logan, wasn't that a little harsh?" she asked him settling Noah back into his bed.

"She couldn't have tipped them off, she wasn't anywhere near here and I thought you told me she had changed with everything that has happened" she reminded him

"I know I'm sorry I just snapped, this is the last thing I wanted to happen. It's going to be a circus now, you know that right?" he sounded defeated; he pulled her close and kissed her softly on the head. "Thank you for being here"

"You don't have to thank me Logan; we just need to get this thing figured out for everyone's sake. Can I see Noah's book again maybe we missed something." She hoped they had, after all today was Saturday and she promised her father if they had nothing they would get the authorities involved.

Logan retrieved the book from the baby bag and handed it to her. She flicked through it a few times before it clicked. "This is a triplicate book" she stated.

"So?" he had no idea where she was headed.

"If it's a triplicate book then it's designed to imprint three copies, I think the hospital keeps a set and the others probably go to the local doctor. I'm hoping that the pen that was used on here pressed hard enough that the imprint might have gone through to the next page." She examined it more closely running her finger over the page until she found what she was looking for in the bottom left hand corner at the back of the details page.

"Look there is no pen imprints but they haven't torn the paper out properly and I think that's the hospital's logo" the logo on the first page had been completed coloured out with thick black texta. There was a tiny piece of paper still attached in the edge of the book, only a few small insignificant markings showing that it obviously had been part of a larger image.

She pulled out her laptop and flipped it open, running a search of the local hospitals in the area. Neptune Memorial was the first match in the search engine so she entered the site. Locating a logo she right clicked to copy the image and pasted it in her photo program. When the image was blown up significantly larger they could indeed see that the fine lines in Noah's book matched part of the hospitals logo.

"Bingo" she exclaimed. "Now I have a starting point".

"Ok so you have a place to start but where do we go next?" he wondered.

"To the hospital of course, I do think I just may need a tour of the maternity ward before I chose which hospital best suits my delivery needs" she winked at him. "But for this I'm going to need help" she pulled out her cell phone and messaged Wallace and Piz.

"What do you need them for?" he asked slightly annoyed she was involving Piz who he had intense dislike for.

"My baby needs a daddy and I need someone to search the files while the nurse's are occupied, and sorry but you're a bit too well known for this" she gathered up her few belongings. "Wish me luck the boys are meeting me there".

* * *

Ooh the plot is developing, what will they find at the hospital. Please review and I'll let you know. ;) 


	7. The Maternity Ward Tour

**_Bonnets and Booties_**

**_Disclaimer:_** **NOT MINE. **It all belongs to Rob Thomas and the networks.

**_Chapter Seven_** : The Maternity Tour

**_An_**: Thanks again to everybody who is reviewing I love reading them all.

* * *

"Thanks for meeting me guys" Veronica said as she joined Wallace and Piz over by Wallace's car. She had stopped at home on the way to change and was now wearing a bright pink baby doll top which gathers just under her bra then fell out loosely to half way down her white denim shorts.

"You could really be pregnant in that thing and I wouldn't know" Wallace commented.

"Exactly why I chose it" she smiled pulling Noah's book out of her bag. "See this" she opened it to the appropriate part and showed Wallace where the page was torn out. He nodded that he understood what she was showing him. "I've managed to trace this as part of Neptune Memorial's logo. Unfortunately I don't think they are too keen on us raiding their records so here is what we will do. Piz will be my husband and we are taking a maternity unit tour so we can decide if this is the perfect place to have our baby. "She slipped a fake wedding and engagement ring set on her fourth finger. "Meanwhile, Wallace I want you to slip into the nurse's station and find the files with baby boys born on the same day as Noah".

"I can do that, I'll copy them if I can, but if I can't I'll try to just get the name. It should have his name on it right?" he asked.

"It might, but if she hadn't named him straight away it might not. In that case you need to look for matching details – height, weight, hair colour, eye colour etc. Hopefully there will only be one match" she actually felt nervous. It was really important that they find a decent lead at the hospital otherwise she would have to contact Child Services just like she had promised her dad she would.

"What do you want me to do?" Piz cut into her thoughts.

"I need you to play the doting husband and expectant father, act like you head over heels in love with me and can't wait for our baby to arrive. Do you think you can manage that?" she smiled reassuringly at him.

"I think I can" he confirmed, after all he definitely had feelings for her, and ever since Logan had broken up with her they had grown by the day. Every day that past without their reconciliation made Piz's chances with her grow, or at least he thought they did

"Ok let's do this" she took Piz's hand in her own and headed into the main entrance of the hospital with Wallace trailing behind them far enough so that no one would connect the dots.

* * *

"Hi Mr Mars" Logan greeted him as he put Noah's carrier down on the floor and sat in the chair opposite Keith's desk. "I needed to get out of the room for awhile so I thought that Noah and I would come for a drive down and see how you went with the leads I gave you."

"I have some good news, so far I've successfully tracked down six of those girls and not one of them has a baby. All their medical records are clean with no mention of any type of appointments that could be connected to ante natal care". He walked around the desk to see Noah.

"Can I hold him?" He was developing a soft spot for the little boy.

"Of course" Logan told him reaching down to unbuckle Noah and hand him to Keith.

"You both look good, you seem to be adjusting to this really well" it had been awhile since he had held a baby. He had wanted more children after Veronica, but once he had followed Lianne one night and found her at the Camelot with Jake he made sure that he had always worn protection after that.

Lianne had never minded or questioned him on it, but deep down he knew that she knew he had caught her out. He had never pressed the issue though, because he loved Veronica too much and refused to risk the chance of Jake Kane taking her away and the best way to do that was to keep pretending they were a happy family, and that he was blissfully unaware he wife was cheating on him with an old flame.

"I am, it's funny you know I've spent months in college with no real purpose, not knowing where I was headed and now I seem to have one, every day I grow more attached to him. Maybe this is what I was meant for" he said softly.

"I have no doubt you'd be a great father Logan, but if by some chance Noah isn't yours what will happen then?" his concern was clear.

"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, right now my number one priority is Noah" he stated.

"And how are you holding up with the press knowing you have a baby?" he had been surprised at seeing Logan's photo in the morning paper and was hoping that he wouldn't lose it with the paparazzi now that they were sure to be following him everywhere.

"I snuck out the back entrance of the hotel" Logan admitted. "I should stay in away from them but the room seems to be getting smaller by the minute"

"Just be careful, I don't want them to endanger you or Noah" he sat back down at his desk and propped Noah on his shoulder, remembering that this used to be Veronica's favourite way to be held.

"The thing I'm most worried about is what the media attention will do to his mother; I'm worried she might run"

"It's possible she might, or it might motivate her into coming forward. It depends on her real motives. If its fame and fortune she should be knocking on your door any minute" Logan wasn't the richest person in Neptune and the media attention had died down somewhat since the murder of his father, but the second they cottoned on to something happening with him they were usually all over it. The tortured son of a movie star murderer still sold papers.

"Well there hasn't been any sign of anyone. Do you think she's watching? Surely she wouldn't have just left without knowing that Noah would be ok" he hoped that was the case anyway.

"I'm guessing she probably is" Keith agreed "In my experience it's extremely hard to cut personal ties, so no it wouldn't surprise me if she was keeping tabs on you"

"well I'd best get Noah home" he took the baby from Keith and strapped him back into his carrier "thanks again for this Keith, and for keeping Veronica out of it"

"That's alright Logan, but once this is sorted out I think it's time we had a long talk" he said as he walked them to the door.

* * *

"Hi my name is Betty, and this is my husband George" Veronica said to the nurse at the desk in her best bimbo voice.

"I know it's late and we don't have a booking but I'm wondering if we can join the tour of the facilities, I rang this morning and the lady said just to come on over, we have just moved here" she explained reaching up to give Piz a kiss on the cheek. He smiled goofily at the nurse.

"Just let me call in and make sure there is room for two more" she told them, smiling at the happiness of the obviously newly wedded couple.

As the nurse turned her back Veronica nodded to Wallace who slipped past them and into the records room.

"Susie will fit you in" the nurse came back and told her "Just follow this red line on the floor and she will be waiting down the corridor with the other expectant couples"

"Thankyou" Veronica crooned. "See honey I told you this would be the best hospital" she squeezed Piz's hand.

"Yes you did pumpkin" he leaned in to kiss her forehead and rub her belly in a 'show' of expectant father fashion. "Thankyou" he said to the nurse and guided Veronica down the hall.

* * *

The tour had lasted for an hour and Veronica and Piz had learnt much more than they had actually wanted to know about birthing facilities and post natal care.

"You so owe me" Piz had told her when they reached the car park. His face still hadn't recovered from the lovely shade of green it had turned when Susie had shown them the various instruments that may be needed in the birthing process. "I'm serious Veronica, I can never look at tongs the same way again" he thought back to the forceps he had recently seen.

"Ok so I owe you, just add it to the list" she grinned at him, hoping in the passenger side of Wallace's car.

"Hey BFF how did you do?" she questioned him.

"I managed to get what we needed", he handed some photocopies to her. "There were three boys born here the same day as Noah, so I took copies of all of them" he grinned at her.

"And that" she turned to Piz "is why Wallace is my partner in crime"

"Thanks guys, I'll catch up with you later, I'm just going to go and show Logan what we have found." She gathered up her stuff and left the car. Piz's eyes followed her across the car park.

* * *

Veronica was already back in his room when Logan and Noah returned to the suite.

"So by that grin on your face I'm thinking you found something" he greeted her as he put down Noah. Veronica didn't get up but waited for him to come and join her on the lounge.

"Three boys were born that day, but only one matches Noah's details" she handed the paper to Logan and watched his face for any sign of recognition as he read the details.

"Are you sure this is her?" he asked.

"Pretty sure" she confirmed.

"So Noah's mother is – "

* * *

I know I'm evil. Please review and you will find out who it is next chapter. Logan shaped cookies to anyone who guesses who it is, but i bet you can't ;) 


	8. Noah's Mother

_**Bonnets and Booties**_

_**Disclaimer:**_ **NOT MINE. **It all belongs to Rob Thomas and the networks.

_**Chapter **__**Eight**_ : Noah's Mother

_**An**_: Thanks again to everybody who is reviewing I love reading them all.

Bitterbl00d666 Sorry it took me too long to update, I know I usually do it once a day, but it my defence I had to work this weekend, unfortunately living in fantasy land doesn't pay my bills sob sob.

See below for notes on why Noah's mother is who she is, and why it couldn't be the other characters. ;)

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"Three boys were born that day, but only one matches Noah's details" she handed the paper to Logan and watched his face for any sign of recognition as he read the details. 

"Are you sure this is her?" he asked.

"Pretty sure" she confirmed.

"So Noah's mother is Annie Brown" he was slightly shocked at the discovery, of all the possible suspects going through his head Annie hadn't been one of them.

"I'm taking it that you know her then? And I haven't heard cries of "he can't be mine" so it all fits I take it?" Veronica's tone was a strange sort of cross between accusing and remorseful.

"I do know Annie, and actually so do you. I was only with her once, but the timing fits" he confirmed not meeting her gaze.

"Annie Brown, Annie Brown" she tried it out a few times hoping to jog her memory. "Nope, I've got nothing. Care to enlighten me?"

"Do you remember my pretty turn down maid?" he cringed waiting for the onslaught he was sure would come when she clicked.

"Her?" Veronica's voice rose.

"As I said it was a onetime thing, she came in one night to do the turn down and I was a mess. It was the night I'd seen the Lilly tapes, actually. She came back to check on me after she finished for the night and things just progressed from there. If felt so good to have someone generally concerned about me and comforting me that I didn't stop it when I should have. Afterwards she freaked, said she had been warned specifically not to become involved with the rich guests and she would lose her job" he explained.

"She worked this floor for another couple of months I think, Wallace even met her once, and then she switched floors. I didn't think much of it at the time, but now it makes sense. She started back on this floor last week"

"So she has access to your suite" Veronica stated, it made sense to her now too. "Did you use protection? you barely even know her" she said accusingly

"Of course i did" he retorted "But didn't you take health class? it's not always fool proof"

It all fell into place for Logan. Annie had access to his suite and she had seen him every night since he had had Noah, he had even asked her to watch him once for a few minutes while he had a shower. Keith was right, she was still around keeping tabs on them. But why hadn't she told him about the pregnancy?

A looked of horror flashed across Logan's face as he realised something. "Veronica she didn't come last night."

"Are you sure?" she asked "You've had alot going on maybe you just missed her"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. Sue came in last night. Do you think the media has scared her off?" he had a slightly panicked tone to his voice.

"I don't know, maybe" she stood up and started walking around the room slowly. She couldn't think straight sitting still. "Or maybe it was her night off; she couldn't come up here if it was it would look too suspicious. I'll go find someone and ask"

Logan waited anxiously for her to get back. He was really hoping that she hadn't run, he had no clue how to find her if she had. A few minutes later Veronica returned.

"It was her night off" she told him, watching relief spread across his face. "But it doesn't mean she hasn't run" she cautioned "the only way to know is if she shows up tonight"

"So we wait?" he couldn't believe there was nothing he could do. "Couldn't we get her details and go find her?" that made more sense than just sitting around waiting to see of she would come back.

"We don't want to scare her. The best bet is to just keep going as normal, if she doesn't show up tonight then we will know and we can start tracking her down. What time does she usually come?" she had a plan forming and with a few more details she could put it into action.

"Around 9.30" he calmed down slightly when he sensed Veronica was planning something "Why?"

"Have you ever left the room when she has been in here?" she was betting that he had

"Well I asked her to watch him once while I was showering, he just wouldn't settle and I didn't want to leave him alone when he was crying" Logan's gaze followed her around the room, watching her closely as she seemed to be looking for something.

"Perfect, my guess is that she used that time to be close to him for a few minutes. If that's the case we can make sure she's his mom without scaring her" she had found what she was looking for in the corner of the room, a perfect place to hide a video bug.

"How?" he knew how timid Annie usually was, if he confronted her, he was sure she would definatley run.

"Video bug, here" she pointed to a spot on the wall near his room "And I'll plant a voice bug discreetly in Noah's bassinet, that way we can see and hear everything she says and does when you take a 'shower' I'll already be hiding in here when she arrives"

"Won't she see you here when she does turn down?" he pointed out

"She won't get that far, the second she enters stop her and ask her to watch him, I doubt she will say no, then you can come in here and we will both see what happens." If all went to plan they would know for sure and then they could confront her.

"I hope you're right" Logan told her, still not completely convinced that they shouldn't go and find her now.

"I always am" she quipped, tossing her bag on her shoulder "I just need some stuff from the office and I'll be back. Don't worry Logan, we will figure this out".

* * *

It was almost 9.30 when there was a knock on the door. They had had everything ready for at least an hour now in case she came early but she hadn't. 

Veronica met his eyes across the room "Are you ready?" she asked him.

"As I can be I guess, this could change everything you know" he walked towards the door.

"I know" she whispered back to him while closing the door to his bedroom.

Logan was relieved to see Annie on the other side of his door. "Hi" he greeted her as he normally did. "Do you think you can do me a huge favour?" he didn't wait for her reply "this little guy won't settle again and I can't get anyone to come over and watch him could you possibly spare ten minutes so I can shower?" he mentally crossed his fingers.

"Um, sure I guess" Annie answered him putting the pillows and sheets she was carrying on the nearby table.

"Thanks, I won't be too long" Logan went into his bedroom and shut the door joining Veronica on his bed where she was watching the camera. She wordlessly held out an ear piece to him and he took it from her.

* * *

AN:: Ducks rotten tomoatoes Ok so none of you would have guessed her as Noah's mom. She's from episode 2:18 I am god. I chose her because she fits in with the plot and the other couple of surprises that are yet to come. I was amazed at the amount of reviews for this chapter, 22 its the highest i've ever had for a chapter myabe i should leave eveil cliffies more often. 

Everyone had some good guesses though so you all get a Logan shaped cookie.

The two clues i left for her,

1. Noah's mother had to have access to Logan's suite as the presidential suites are usually high security in most hotels.

2. In my world there was no break between episode ten and episode eleven of season two. Trust me this should work well with the later plot.

OK to answer the suggestions left..

Trina Was a good idea and i probably could have worked it that way if i had of thought of it, but being the prom baby we hope she wouldn't do that

Hannah I said in a previous chapter it couldn't have been her otherwise Logan would have been 'taken care of' by the Fitzpatricks. I did think about her though but dont want to complicate a possible later pairing

Madison I don't like, lol, besides we saw her at the graduation and alterna proms and she wasn't pregnant then or someone would have said something (in this fic, not in the show)

Kendall Is dead, we saw that in s3 eps 1 and 2 or so we assume so nope not her.

Shelley never even thought of her.

An: again although it's not a main stream character there are some more surprise points that should take it in a very interesting direction so please keep reading and reviewing.


	9. Confrontations

_** Bonnets and Booties**_

_**Disclaimer**__ **NOT MINE. **__It all belongs to Rob Thomas and the networks._

_**Chapter **__**Nine**__ Confrontations_

_**An**__: Thanks again to everybody who is reviewing I love reading them all. It's great to know you support the walk on :)_

_

* * *

_

"How's my special baby boy?" Annie crooned at Noah. Veronica and Logan could see her stroking his cheek lovingly and holding him close, every few seconds her eyes flicked towards the door watching for any sign of Logan returning.

"I miss you so much, Noah. I hope you know that and someday when you big I hope you understand" She continued to hold him close, breathing in his baby scent and treasuring the few stolen moments with her infant son.

The baby looked up at her with wide eyes, too young to understand her words but taking comfort in the familiar tones of her voice.

* * *

Having heard enough Logan rose from his listening point on the bed and strode towards the door. Veronica tried to stop him but he brushed her off.

He yanked open the door and confronted Annie in a harsher tone than he intended.

"If you miss him so much, why did you dump him here?" Logan demanded.

Annie froze like a deer caught in the head lights. "I'm sorry" she stammered "I have no idea what you're talking about. He was crying so I picked him up" she tried unsuccessfully to cover.

"Cut the crap Annie, I was listening to everything you just said to him, we figured it all out this morning, so again why did you dump him here like this?" his tone was cold.

Sighing she sat down on the couch "I didn't know what else to do. I knew you would take care of him" she said as if by saying that he would understand her reasons. He didn't.

"You just dumped him here a few days ago, with nothing. NOTHING" his tone was increasing all of his pent up anger and frustration finding a release.

"Logan" Veronica had come from the room and interrupted him "Getting worked up isn't the best way to handle this you know, why don't you take Noah into the room and calm down a little and I'll talk to Annie" she suggested.

"Fine" he nodded his head and took his son of Annie "But I want answers" he added as they left the room.

"I'm so sorry Veronica, I didn't want this to happen" Annie told her tears sliding down her cheeks

Veronica handed her a tissue from her bag "Why don't you tell me what happened, Logan is pretty worked up now, but don't worry he will calm down. Why didn't you tell Logan you were pregnant? He would have stood beside you, you must know that" she stated, no matter her own personal thoughts on Logan at times she knew him well enough to know that he would have stood up to his responsibilities.

"My mother has cancer, she has been sick for a very long time and the stress of it all was enormous. I was working that many hours just to pay the bills and fill her scripts that by the time I found out it was too late to do anything about it. I had started seeing a new guy, Ben, and he was wonderful, so understanding about mom and my pregnancy." She dabbed at her cheeks and took a breath

"I panicked when I realised that I could lose my job and Ben asked me to marry him saying that he would treat the baby as his own. I didn't feel like I had any other option so I agreed, I asked my boss to transfer my floors so Logan wouldn't put two and two together. Mom had a pretty bad relapse just before Noah was born and between looking after her and a new baby Ben couldn't take it anymore and he left." She had stopped crying and continued

"I managed for about a month but I just can't survive on benefits, it's not enough to pay the living expenses let alone the hospital costs and fill all the scripts my mom needs. I know that Logan has the means to take care of him, but I don't. I need to work, but I can't afford day care. A friend of mine took care of him for my first shift back, I was surprised to be rostered back on this floor and that's when I had the idea to drop him off to Logan" she explained.

"So basically what you're saying is you worked one shift and had the brilliant idea to dump Noah the next one" Veronica clarified.

"You make it sound so bad" Annie sniffled

"It kind of is" Veronica pointed out "I understand your reasons but I don't agree with the way you did it. There had to be better ways and why didn't you tell Logan, instead of leaving Noah here with nothing but a note and his bassinet?"

"I hadn't seen him for months, I was worried that he wouldn't take him and think I was trying to scam money out of him, but I'm not, I just want him to take care of his son" she defended. "I can't do it anymore"

Logan returned from his room where he had settled a sleeping Noah into the snuggle bed.

On one hand he was furious with her for all the stress and worry she had put him through, and on the other he was genuinely concerned about Annie, she had always seemed like such a nice girl and except for that one night he had initiated she had never made a pass at him.

"I'm so sorry Logan, you have no idea how sorry I am" she apologised to him.

"What's done is done, let's just figure out where we go from here" he told her. He had heard the conversation between the girls when he was in the bedroom.

"I meant what I said" she stated to him "I can't take care of him; he needs someone who can not only afford to, but wants to. If you won't keep him then I'll have to give him up for adoption"

"Don't be ridiculous, Annie, of course I'll take care of him, he's my son. I'll have my lawyer contact you in the next few days with the official paperwork, for now though I want you to leave. We will talk more tomorrow night when you come back for turn down" he needed her to leave because if she didn't he was sure he would say something he might regret, and he didn't want to risk alienating her.

"Ok, I understand. Please kiss Noah for me, tell him I love him" she refused to look at Logan or Veronica and left closing the door behind her. When she had put sufficient space between herself and the presidential suite she dropped to her knees and sobbed uncontrollably – for Logan, for herself and their situation, but mostly for her tiny son who deserved none of this.

She hadn't been entirely truthful with them as to why she dropped him here and couldn't keep him, she silently prayed that for Noah's sake they wouldn't find out.

* * *

Thanks gain to everyone who is reviewing. I am really excited as to where this can go now and there might even be room for a sequel.

Press the little button to the left and tell me what you think.


	10. Advice from Cliff

_**Bonnets and Booties**_

_**Disclaimer:**_ Not Mine, anything pertaining to the show belongs to Rob Thomas and the networks.

**Chapter Ten: Advice From Cliff**

**AN:** I apologise to you all for taking so long to update I have been so sick for the past two weeks basically, Glandular Fever not fun. Today is the first time I have been able to sit up and type. Hopefully I can update more regularly now, but until I'm completely better and things are normal please bear with me.

* * *

When the door shut Logan turned to Veronica who hadn't said anything but had '_that' _look on her face.

"You don't believe her?" he questioned

"I don't know" she admitted honestly, it just seems too farfetched.

"I don't think she's lying Veronica, I know her and she's basically you pre Lilly leaving, or Meg, she has to be telling the truth" he stated picking up a few of Noah's things that were lying around.

"Meg? Me? Oh she has to be telling the truth then, look how well things turned out with us" she retorted referring to her now tainted views of the world and Meg's deception with her pregnancy, which resulted in Duncan going on the run with their daughter.

"Look Veronica, I don't want to fight I'm just saying we should sit for a while and wait for the DNA results, we can take it from there once we know, I'm pretty confident though that it all fits." Annie had explained things as far as he was concerned and he was just waiting on the official results from tests to confirm what he already felt, Noah was his biological son.

"Fine, as long as you know what you're doing" she agreed reluctantly. She would let Logan believe what he wanted but she knew there was more to this story than Annie had let on. She had stayed at the Grande long enough to know that shift change was eleven pm and they weren't far off that now. If she was quick enough she could get to her car and wait by the employee entrance and follow Annie.

"I'll stop by tomorrow, I promised dad I'd help him with a case tonight, get a money shot or two" Lying came so easy to her now it was scary.

"Ok." Logan studied her "But Veronica, promise me that you won't interfere, do anything to make her run?" he quite figured out exactly what to do about the situation yet, but if for some reason she was lying to him he didn't want to make her nervous and bolt before things were sorted out. Noah had been left with him for a reason, and he had promised himself to do what was right for both Annie and Noah.

Veronica nodded. "I'll see you later ok?" she gathered up her things and left.

It was only after she was out the door that Logan realised she hadn't actually said that she promised like he had asked her to.

* * *

Veronica didn't have to wait long for the shift change and had only been sitting in her car at the back of the car park for about fifteen minutes when the staff only door opened and the employees that had finished for the night started to stream out.

She spotted Annie towards the middle of the group chatting with one of the girls Veronica recognised from the front desk.

Veronica watched them stand to the side chatting for another few minutes before Annie headed to her own car, a beaten up maroon sedan, and got it pulling out of the car park.

Slowly pulling put after her Veronica made sure to stay far enough back to not be noticed. Usually she would have stuck a GPS tracker somewhere on the car but she hadn't had enough time tonight to find out which was Annie's car before putting her plan into motion.

If Annie was going to bolt after spilling to Logan then it would most likely be tonight, in her experience Veronica had learned that if people weren't planning on sticking around then they left sooner than later.

They crossed the Coronado bridge and headed into the neighbourhood where Weevil used to live with his grandmother.

Annie pulled into a rundown weatherboard cottage and turned the car off, with a quick glance around out of habit she headed to the front door and let herself in. Veronica snapped a few photo's until Annie was out of site then settled in to wait for awhile.

* * *

Even though Noah was sleeping peacefully, Logan wasn't. His mind was occupied with the events of the evening running over and over again. The way Annie had explained things seemed cut and dried. She couldn't look after him so she gave him to Logan who could. It still didn't sit right though. Logan's parents had been far from stellar examples of perfect parents but could a young mother really just give up her baby without a second thought? He didn't think so.

He had decided to call his lawyers first thing in the morning to draw up custody papers for his son, it was the first step in the right direction he felt. Originally he was going to wait but now he decided to move on it sooner than later. He couldn't deny that he was getting attached to Noah and as he watched his son sleep in his snuggle bed Logan finally felt a peace within himself that he hadn't known in a very long time.

_The next Morning_

Logan strapped Noah into his car seat and picked up the nappy bag, they had quite a big morning ahead of them. Earlier he had made an appointment with Cliff to see him regarding custody and that was first up, then he wanted to view a couple of houses he had found for sale on a web site this morning. Sometime during the four am feeding with Noah when the usual sounds of the hotel had begun to drive him crazy he had decided to finally buy a house of his own, something he had tried to put off for quite awhile.

The more he thought about it the more excited he became at the prospect of making a real family for himself and Noah and was in a great mood by the time he entered Cliff's office.

"Mr Echolls" Cliff greeted him "I heard you had procreated and now I see it with my own eyes there's no denying it" He gestured for Logan to head into his office. He signed the last of the papers the secretary had and followed him in.

"I'm guessing you know why I'm here then" Logan smiled at him

"You want to make it official" Cliff confirmed.

"I assume you can handle that?" Logan unstrapped Noah who was fussing and settled him on his knee. Cliff watched Logan for a minute before answering him.

"Of course I can handle it Logan but I must be honest I'm not sure that filing for official custody is the best idea until you get the DNA results." He told him cautiously "I know you're becoming attached to him but as your attorney it's my professional opinion that you should wait, especially for someone of your stature."

"My stature?" Logan wasn't exactly sure what he was referring to, whether it was his fame or his tainted past.

"Let me be straight Logan, you have money, lots of it and fame, are you sure this isn't just a ploy to con you out of your millions? I really think it best you wait for the results" Cliff stated.

Logan took a deep breath before speaking, he understood where Cliff was coming from but if he refused to help him he had others that would. "Are you saying you won't help me because-"he was cut off by Cliff. "I'm not saying I won't help you Logan I'm just urging you to use caution and perhaps wait awhile, but ultimately you pay me to do what you want so if this is what you want then I'll start the ball rolling"

* * *

After Cliff had agreed to work for Logan they had gone over the details that Cliff would need in order to file for custody of Noah and they had left. Logan had stopped briefly at a park to feed Noah and thankfully there were no photographers there, it seemed he wasn't that interesting today which was a good sign.

Once Noah was fed and changed they had continued on and the real estate agent had shown Logan three houses, two were close to the beach and one was just up the road from the vacant block of land his old house had stood on. He wasn't exactly sure yet but he really like the second one, it had six bedrooms and a lot of living space as well as a separate quarters for staff, which would come in really handy when he got around to hiring Noah a nanny.

He told the agent he would sleep on it then view them again tomorrow; he wanted to bring Veronica along. Although they weren't together Logan was playing a fun little game in his head of 'happy families' in which Veronica featured as his wife and Noah's mother.

He was back in the suite now flipping through a surfing magazine while thinking through his options. His phone rang interrupting his thoughts.

"Hello" he answered it not recognising the caller id.

"Hello is this Logan Echolls?" a man's voice asked.

"Yes, it is" he replied slowly thinking it was a mistake answering an unknown number and praying it wasn't some sort of entertainment rag.

"Logan this is Doctor Roger's from Neptune Memorial, I have the results of the DNA test here and I was wondering if you would come in and see me?"

They had come back sooner than expected and Logan's heart gave a little jump.

"Sure I can be there in thirty minutes" he answered.

"Thank you Mr Echolls my office is in the back, ask at reception and they will direct you." he instructed before ending the call.

Logan hurried to gather up a few things for Noah, and Noah himself before heading to the hospital to see Dr Roger's, his heart beating faster with nervousness the whole time.

* * *

Hope it wasn't too bad, it really hurt my head to write this. 


	11. Results

_** Bonnets and Booties**_

_**Disclaimer:**_ Not Mine, anything pertaining to the show belongs to Rob Thomas and the networks.

**Chapter Eleven****: The Results**

**AN** I'm sorry this is taking forever guys, I just cannot shake this sickness. No energy at all. Thanks for bearing with me though.

* * *

The ride to the hospital had been relatively quick. There wasn't much traffic on the roads, surprisingly. It had been well over forty minutes since Doctor Roger's call and Logan had been sitting in the car park of the hospital for the last twenty of those minutes.

This was it, in a few moments the doctor was going to conform what Logan already knew – that he was Noah's biological father.

Deciding he had had enough of putting off the inevitable he unbuckled Noah from his car seat and headed into the hospital. Thankfully the paparazzi hadn't gotten wind of his visit, there wasn't a cameraman in sight.

Following the doctors directions he headed through the emergency rooms and followed the signs to the receptionist's desk at the back of the hospital, in what appeared to be a quieter section of the busy building.

"HI, I'm here for Doctor Roger's" he told the petite brunette manning the desk.

"Did you have an appointment?" she didn't even look up at him, she just continued typing on her computer screen.

"Yes, he called me almost an hour ago and asked me to come straight in" Logan told her

"Name?" she asked him.

"Echolls, Logan Echolls"

That got her attention.

"Of course Mr Echolls, I'm terribly sorry, Doctor Rogers has been waiting for you. Go right down it's the last door on the left." She instructed him. She stood and pointed down the hall.

"Thankyou" he turned to head in the direction she had indicated before pausing briefly. He had seen the star struck look on her face when she had realised who he was, and considering his experience with the media lately he didn't want to risk anything.

"Oh, and Lisa?" he said turning back and calling her by the name clearly displayed on her badge

"Yes Mr Echolls?" she flashed him a brilliant smile

"No one saw me come in so if the media find out I am here, I'll have your job. Make no mistake about that" he told her firmly. He would pull no punches where Noah's safety and well bring were concerned.

"I understand Mr Echolls" she confirmed before sitting back down and going back to her work.

It was a relatively short walk to Doctor Roger's office and as Logan approached he saw that the Doctor's door was already open. Not sure whether to stroll in or not he opted to tentatively knock instead.

"Come in Logan" he said "I've been waiting for you"

Logan situated himself in the chair in front of the Doctor's desk, settling Noah in his lap. He couldn't remember a time when he had ever felt so nervous in his life. Not even when he was being interrogated for Lily or Felix's murder, which of course he didn't commit.

"I won't keep you long Logan, usually we just send the test results out in the mail, but being a client with a high celebrity profile like yours I thought it best to get you in and discuss it with you personally. I would hate for the results to end up in the wrong hands, or for you to be exploited any further" He looked over his glasses at Logan, shuffling the papers on his desk.

Dr Roger's was older than he had sounded on the phone, with greying hair and old fashioned half mooned glasses. He had a grandfatherly look to him, Logan thought taking in the Doctor's appearance and mannerisms.

"Hang on" Logan stopped him "What do you mean exploited further?" Noah fussed on his lap and he put the baby up over his shoulder patting his back soothingly, it had become almost second nature to him now that he was getting to know the baby so well.

Dr Rogers pushed the paper he was studying over to where Logan could clearly see it. "As you can see Logan" he pointed to the relevant paragraphs "there is no possible way that you are the father of this baby, I'm afraid that the lady in question seems to be taking you for a ride" he told him as gently as he could. He honestly felt sorry for the boy, he read the papers in his tea breaks and like everyone else in Neptune knew all about the Echolls family history.

"Oh" Logan's face fell. He had been so sure that Noah was his. "Could they do the test again? what if there was a mistake?"

"I'm sorry Logan, there's not. I had them do the test again to make sure and the result came back the same. You are not Noah's father biologically. Now, having read through the history you gave the nurse, I am a little concerned. Would you care to tell me how Noah came to be in your sole care?" he asked, and then as an afterthought added "I am bound by Doctor – Patient confidentiality, you can rest assured Logan, that nothing you tell me leaves this office."

Logan took a deep breath and released it slowly, he thought his hearty had been ripped out enough in the past by Lilly and Veronica that it should have been numb now, but it had never felt this shattered.

"I came home from surfing and he was waiting in my hotel suite in a bassinet, his mother nowhere in sight. I figured out that she wouldn't be too far away and finally found out that it was one of the maids, Annie. When we calculated the dates it all fit, I had slept with her around nine months earlier, and she said he was mine. She hasn't asked anything from me but she just doesn't want him. My lawyer was drawing up sole custody papers, they should have been ready today" he said sadly looking at Noah, who had fallen asleep in his favourite over the shoulder position.

"This seems to be a shock, you obviously trusted this young lady and seemed to have formed a bond with the baby" Dr Rogers observed.

"I did, I don't think I'd tell anyone else this but my life seemed to suddenly have a purpose. Now it's gone again" he told him feeling utterly deflated. Usually wild horse's couldn't drag any emotional conversations out of Logan, but he had been under so much pressure and so emotionally torn that it felt good to spill it to someone that didn't know him personally and therefore couldn't judge him, and the confidentiality clause helped also, knowing what he said couldn't go further.

"Well thank you for your discretion Dr Roger's. I think it's time I went to pay Annie a little visit" he stood up, shifting Noah to his other arm and shook the Doctor's hand.

He made he was slowly back to the car, strapped Noah in and settled himself behind the steering wheel. It was only after he had slipped his expensive black sunglasses on that he let his guard down and felt the salty wetness of tears sliding down his cheeks.

He wondered why he felt so bad, shouldn't he be relieved that the baby wasn't his and he could go back to the life of a carefree bachelor??

* * *

So Logan isn't Noah's dad? Interesting, what motive could Annie possibly have for what she did? What will Veronica say and if Logan isn't Noah's father than who is??

Find out next chapter, I promise not to be so long with it, and thank you for my reviews it's what spurs me on. Don't forget to tell me what you think.


	12. Annie's Note

_**Bonnets and Booties**_

_**Disclaimer:**_ Not Mine, anything pertaining to the show belongs to Rob Thomas and the networks.

**Chapter ****Eleven:**

---vm---

It took a Logan a good half an hour to compose himself and decide what to do next. He had to see Annie of course and try and sort through this mess, but he didn't want to take Noah with him.

He dropped the baby to Alicia Fennel, she had offered a few days ago to watch him if needed and now was the perfect time to take her up on her offer.

It had been hard not to call Veronica with what he had learned but he really wanted to sort this out before he got into "that" conversation, there were only so many times he could hear her "I told you so's" and right now was not one of those times.

He checked the address that was scribbled on a piece of paper he was holding. According to the GPS the address was just up from here. Pulling over to the side of the road, he squinted through his sunglasses into the afternoon sun searching for the number.

There it was, up ahead on the left, a fairly unkempt looking place. Annie's car out the front confirmed that this was her house. He turned the engine off and headed over to the front door, knocking twice firmly before standing back and waiting for someone to answer it.

After some time an old lady's face greeted him when the door opened.

"Hi, I'm looking for Annie" he smiled at her trying to put the old woman at ease charging in like a bull wouldn't get him anywhere.

"The old lady gave him a wary look "She's not here" she said attempting to close the door in face, but Logan was too quick for her and had put his foot between the door and the door jam effectively stopping the door from closing.

"Let me try again, I DEMAND to see Annie" he pushed the door with his foot careful not to knock the old lady over. "Look mam, my name is Logan Echolls and I really need to see her, it's about her son, the one she dumped on my door step not long ago, funny thing really, it turns out that I'm not his father after all and I'd really like to clear up with her just who is" he informed her in a no nonsense tone.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry Mr Echolls please come in" She used her frame to hobble back from the door, opening it wider for Logan to enter through. Moving slowly down the hall she indicated for Logan to follow her. He shut the front door behind him and headed through the door the old lady had just gone through.

The door led into a sitting area, dusty, but obviously well loved with worn couches and throws adorning them. Family photo's lined the walls. Looking around he saw some trophies on a side table, and hand drawings on yellowing paper on the other walls.

"I'm sorry dear, it's not so clean anymore. I just can't seem to stay on top of it at my age. It's a bit much for me now" she told him, seating herself in an old rocker near the opposite corner. She picked up her knitting and continued looking at Logan, obviously waiting for him to lead the conversation.

"I really need to sort some things out with Annie, could I see her please?" he asked again.

"Like I told you before dear, she's not here. She left yesterday. Didn't even say goodbye just went to work, or so I thought, but didn't come back. There was a note on her bed, two actually, one for me and the other for you" she dug through the pocket of her cardigan and pulled out a folded envelope.

"Here" she said handing it to Logan "I had no idea who Logan was until you turned up" she gave him a sympathetic smile.

"I should probably explain something to you. Annie isn't a bad girl, she just fell in with the wrong crowd awhile ago, I thought moving to Neptune with new people would change a lot of things, and it seemed to have worked. Then Annie came home pregnant and wouldn't say who the babies father was. Once Noah was born I thought things would get better for her, but she seemed to have panicked, leaving him with you. Her mother's seriously ill and my guess would be that she has gone to her. Unfortunately I had a falling out with my daughter many years ago and we haven't spoken since so I don't know where she is living. I'm sorry I can't be more help" her voice broke slightly at the end. The falling out with her daughter was obviously weighing on her.

"Thankyou" Logan said standing up "If Annie gets in contact with you, I need to see her, please call me on this number" he handed her a slip of paper from his wallet with his cell phone number on it. He put Annie's letter in his pocket and showed himself out. He was curious what she had written but he wanted to wait until later when he was alone to read it.

His was so engrossed with his thoughts as he crossed the street that he failed to notice a silver Saturn parked further down the block.

----vm------

Logan had picked Noah back up from Alicia's, bathed and fed him and was no sitting comfortably on the sofa with the baby cradled up over his shoulder in Noah favourite position. It was so hard to believe that it wasn't his son. They had formed such a bond during the time that they had been together.

He had no idea where to go from here. Annie had left town and the old lady was in no state to look after him. Hopefully the letter would reveal who his true father was and they could take it from there. It would be the right thing to do.

"Why couldn't you just have been mine?" he whispered softly to Noah "Then it would all be so easy from here on" he stroked the babies soft tufts of hair before rising gently from the sofa and heading to his bedroom.

Once Noah was once again settled peacefully in his bed Logan dug through his jean pockets until he found the letter Annie had left for him.

Retreating back into the lounge room he grabbed a beer from the fridge and opened the letter. He hadn't drunk at all since having Noah around, but he had a feeling he wouldn't get through this without a little something to take the edge off.

_Dearest Logan,_

_ It sounds funny writing that when we never had a relationship to begin with doesn't it? By now I'm guessing that one of two things has happened. A __You__ found out that Noah is yours and you have come to see me with the custody papers or B He's not yours and you have come demanding an explanation. You see as horrid as this sounds I don't know if he is really yours or not. I want him to be, more than anything. I've watched you in love. You love so passionately and completely I have no doubt that you would be the best daddy he could have. _

_I don't want to think about the alternative. It's too painful. __You see the night we spent together wasn't just about comfort and solace for you. It was the same for me. I had fallen in love with someone over a period of time and I thought he felt the same. Obviously he didn't because once we had made love he started to freak, telling me that it was all a mistake and he was just upset._

_I thought that the relationship he was in was over otherwise I would never have let him near me. I never wanted to be "that" kind of girl._

_My mom's getting __worse,__ I feel she only has a short time left. Noah has his whole life. I know that this might sound selfish and cruel but I couldn't live with myself if I didn't go to my mom. I couldn't take him with me because she is very religious and the site of my having a baby out of wedlock would send her to her grave and I can't be responsible for that._

_Part of what I told you before is true. She is very sick and I was working to support her, so I couldn't look after him and work at the same time. But, she doesn't live near me I've been sending money to her, and now I just need to be with her, I hope you can understand and that one day Noah and you will forgive me. _

_Gran doesn't know anything so please don't blame her._

_There's only one other person that could be Noah's dad as before him I hadn't been with another man__. Duncan Kane, I know he was your best friend at one stage. I have since learned that when the night I was with him was when he had found out that his ex girlfriend was pregnant. I also didn't know that he was in a relationship with Veronica then either._

_Please take care of Noah, Logan, I love him dearly and couldn't bear for a stranger to have him. Tell Duncan if you must, but last I had heard he was wanted by the FBI for kidnapping._

_Eternally thankful._

_Annie._

_---__vm__---_

Hopefully this chapter made some sense. So we now know who Noah's real daddy is, I hope I didn't mess up the time line too much. In this world I'm trying to keep it so that Noah is around 7 months younger than Lilly.

Please, Please, Please, tell me what you think.


	13. Veronica Mars Eternal Snoop

_**Bonnets and Booties**_

_**Disclaimer:**_ Not Mine, anything pertaining to the show belongs to Rob Thomas and the networks.

_**Special Dedication**_: Thanks to Ghostworld for spurring me into action again.

**Chapter Thirteen: **Veronica Mars, Lifelong Snoop.

**WARNING: THis chapter has some not so nice words in it.**

* * *

Deciding that the letter held information he didn't want anyone to know he took it to the sink and set it on fire, watching intently to make sure every last word was burnt beyond recognition. He felt the anger flare up inside of him and raged a silent battle to keep it at bay.

One more thing Duncan had taken from him. He was glad that Duncan was long gone, because he wasn't so sure that he could restrain himself from beating his lifelong friend to a bloody pulp if he was anywhere within reach.

Why did Duncan get everything? It just wasn't fair. No matter what he did wrong, Veronica still defended him to the death, fawned all over him at every given opportunity, whereas if it had been Logan he would be damned to hell for all eternity.

So what was he going to do about Noah?? That was the real question. During the time they had spent together he had fallen in love with the little boy. His life had begun to have meaning and he had more direction and purpose than he could ever remember having before. It's funny really what being a parent does to someone.

All of his high priced advisors and attorneys would demand he hand him over in an instant, letting their imaginations run away with what having a son that wasn't his could do to his already tarnished rep and make his estate vulnerable to claims from the baby when he was older or Annie if she ever returned.

His mother had deserted him, just like Annie had Noah. Sure Logan was capable of looking after himself by that stage but still, he wondered if it would have hurt less if she done it when he was a baby and then he wouldn't have known her in the first place.

His thoughts had led him to wander aimlessly and he found himself back beside Noah's bed. Watching the baby sleeping peacefully he made his mind up. The only ones who knew for sure that Noah wasn't his were Logan himself and the doctor. Heck he had enough money he was sure he could make those medical records disappear then there would never be a chance of anyone finding out. Having been around Veronica long enough had taught him that he could never be too careful and that all traces of any evidence anywhere must always be erased.

Climbing into bed he made a steely resolve with himself. First thing tomorrow he would have Cliff cement the custody papers for Noah then he would see about making the DNA test results disappear.

* * *

"So there is no doubt that Noah is actually your son Logan?" Cliff asked studying Logan closely across the desk. For some reason it didn't quite sit properly with him, there had to be more to it than Logan was letting on.

"None" Logan answered him looking him straight in the eye. "The test results have confirmed that Noah is 100 my son. Or 99.9999 whatever it is that they say on the results." He waved his hand in the air dismissively and gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Cliff dealt with low life lying scum every day. His lie detector was most likely finely tuned by now.

"Ok as long as you're satisfied I'll have these papers filed in court." He pushed the papers across the desk for Logan to sign.

Hastily he scribbled his signature across the required fields and gave the papers back to Cliff.

"So this is iron clad right? His mother can't just reappear and take him back?"

"This is classed as abandonment Logan, she'd have a damn hard time trying, especially seeing as she has signed over all rights to her son yesterday before she left town."

"She came to see you?" he couldn't believe she'd have the nerve to go and see his lawyer but not to say goodbye to her son.

"Yes, she did. I do believe she genuinely cares for him and believes he is better off with you, as for myself, well you're paying me so I'll reserve my judgement. I really hope you have thought this through thoroughly, Logan. A baby is not a toy. You can't just hand him back when the novelty wears off"

"I know this Cliff" he jumped to his feet impulsively. "Christ, don't you think I know this? my mother fucking jumped off a bridge in order to get away from me. Don't you for one minute EVER doubt my dedication towards my son? I promise you now he will NEVER know the hurt that I have."

He gathered up Noah's car seat and nappy bag and headed for the door. "Just file the damn papers Cliff" he demanded before storming out, letting the door slam behind him.

* * *

"Okay little guy, just one more box and we're done" Logan told the baby as he sealed the lid of the box he was packing. He didn't realise how much stuff he had accumulated between him and Noah over the last few weeks.

The baby cooed at him in response, enjoying the smooth even tones of Logan's voice.

"Hey guys" Veronica's voice rang out as she let herself in. She paused briefly at the sight of the boxes strewn everywhere before walking over to Logan and pulling him into an impulsive hug. Logan returned the gesture not knowing the cause of it but enjoying it just the same.

After a brief minute Veronica pulled away. "I'm sorry it turned out as it has Logan, but you are doing the right thing, I'm proud of you the way you have handled this".

"Thanks" he grinned at her, "but there is nothing to be sorry about" he fished around in his pocket until he found a key and tossed it to her "my new house, we're moving. I signed the final papers this morning and seeing as it was vacant a few extra dollars and we could move in right away. Isn't that great?" his voice was genuinely happy which confused her all the more. She was expecting him to be a drunken mess by the time she arrived.

"Hang on, moving? You're moving?" she clarified.

"Me and my son, of course" he turned back to the task at hand picking up the last of the random objects and throwing them into the box.

"I thought you were packing his things to give him back" she stated.

"Give him back?" he repeated. "Don't be silly Ronnie, my son's not going anywhere other than with me to our new house. Isn't that right little man?"

* * *

"It's ok Logan, you can cut the act, I know he's not yours and as hard as it is for you, you're doing the right thing giving him up. The last thing you need is a baby to raise that isn't your own."

"Isn't my own? Don't be silly Ronnie the tests confirmed it, Noah is my biological son." He had stopped pacing now and was facing her defiantly.

"Logan, seriously there is no need to pretend anymore. I know about the test results, no one will think less of you for giving him up I promise." She placed her hand on his arm sympathetically, but Logan shook it off.

"You know about the test results?" he repeated what she'd said turning it through his mind until it occurred to him exactly what she meant. "What the hell did you do Veronica?" he demanded stalking over to Noah's car seat. Ripping the cover off he found exactly what he was looking for, a small unobtrusive audio bug.

"What the fuck, Veronica?" he was shouting now. "What makes you think you have the right to bug my private conversations" he threw the small device on the ground and stomped on it until he was satisfied that it wasn't likely to be used for bugging anyone anymore.

"Logan, I'm sorry I was just... I thought that if Annie came back that she might reveal something to Noah... I was only trying to help you out."

"No, Veronica" he shook his finger at her. "You were only trying to help YOU out. You can't stand it can you? Not knowing something, having to interfere at every given opportunity. YOU HAD NO RIGHT" he screamed at her "NO RIGHT AT ALL". Picking up a nearby vase he threw it at the furthest wall, the breaking sound causing Noah to burst into tears, bringing Logan out of his current rage.

"Little man I'm sorry, daddy was just cross" he soothed the baby picking him up and rubbing his back gently.

"Get out Veronica, I'm done. It's over; don't bother coming near us again." His tone was steely cold, infused with bitterness. She had no doubt how serious he was.

"Logan, you're so young still why tie yourself down with a kid that's not your own??" she picked up her bag, intending to leave just as he said but wanted the answer to his question first.

"Geez, I don't know Ronnie" he said sarcastically "Why were you so willing to slag it around and play happy families with donut's kid before he did a runner huh? Noah is my biological son and too bad if you can't deal with that. Don't let the door hit you in the arse on your way out." He turned back to look out the window waiting for her to leave.

"Oh and Veronica?" he called just before she shut the door "Why don't you go ask your dad why he would bother raising a kid all those years when he doubted you were his."

She slammed the door as she left, not replying to him. She had forgotten how harsh Logan could be, the psychotic Jackass in him returning in spades. Didn't he realise she was only helping him?

* * *

Whoops poor V, but Logan's right it is his life. Tell me what you think.


	14. Life is somewhat normal again

_**Bonnets and Booties**_

_**Disclaimer:**_ Not Mine, anything pertaining to the show belongs to Rob Thomas and the networks.

**Chapter Fourteen: **Life is getting somewhat normal.

---VM---

Logan let himself into his new house. A strange sense of pride washed over him as he walked into the sunlight foyer holding Noah tightly in his arms. They had been out for a stroll in a nearby park, as they did around this time every morning. He'd read that fresh air and sunlight was good for babies.

"This is it, little man, a new start for us both" Noah gurgled at him in response.

He'd spent the best part of the last week unpacking their small amount of belongings and then shopping for new furniture, new clothes and everything else they could possible need in a house of their own. Sometimes being a trust fund kid wasn't so bad after all. Not if it meant you had unlimited money.

The only downfall to the whole experience was that he did it alone, well with the help of Alicia but she mainly watched Noah whilst he was out ordering furniture and making decisions. He hadn't heard from Veronica since he had kicked her out of the hotel room. He had decided then and there that he was done with her and he meant it. Still it would have been nice if she had wanted to play happy families with him, just like she had done with Duncan. She had pretty good taste in decor, and it would have saved him from trying to decide between wood or cane on his own. Wood had won out, mainly because the shopkeeper assured him it was 'timeless', whatever that meant.

Noah's fussing pulled him from his thoughts. It was time for his feed. Logan headed to the fridge and pulled out a bottle, warming it to just the right temperature in a saucepan of hot water. It was funny really, all of this baby stuff was second nature to him now, and he never felt happier. So what if it was just the two of them, at least they had each other. Logan now had a reason to straighten his life out, and it was working just great.

The doorbell ringing let him know that Alicia had arrived. It was so good having her close to care for Noah, he didn't think he would be able to trust anyone else with his precious son.

"Morning" he grinned at her opening the door.

"Hello Mr Echolls, Master Echolls," she bent forward to plant a kiss on Noah's forehead.

"Alicia" Logan chastised her, "How many times do I have to tell you to call us by our first names, I'm Logan, he's Noah, remember?" he teased her.

"Sure" she smiled back at him warmly "No problem, now _Logan_" she emphasised his given name "you had better give this little guy to me and get ready for class"

"Your right" he handed Noah over to her and went upstairs to change. He recently enrolled back in college, doing a psychology degree. The urge to be the best possible parent possible for Noah was a driving force; he'd never had a direction in life this strong before.

* * *

Although Logan had been expecting to run into Veronica all week it was still a shock when he actually did. It was in the cafeteria between classes. He had a twenty minute break today and had decided to pop in for some coffee and a salad wrap. Making a mental note to pack his lunch from now on to avoid this situation, he headed for the cashier, keeping an eye on Veronica from his peripheral vision. The last thing he wanted was a public confrontation. Knowing Veronica, she wouldn't just let this go.

To Logan's delight she stayed seated between Piz, and Mac, although glaring at him. He mock saluted her and headed for the exit, disappearing quickly down one of the less used hallways in case she had decided to follow of him.

* * *

Veronica watched Logan from across the room. She had puzzled over him all week but hadn't been game to confront him. What he'd said to her had really stung, and it was worse in the fact that he was right. She had no business interfering, even if she thought it was for the best.

"Earth to Mars, Earth to Mars" Piz waved his hand in front of her face trying to get her attention. She saw a flash of annoyance run over his features before the gentle smiled settled back on his face. She knew it bugged him that so much of her thoughts were consumed by Logan.

"Maybe you should talk to him again" Mac suggested. She actually liked Logan and wasn't at all concerned about singing his praises in front of Piz. In fact, when Veronica had confided in her she took his side in a heartbeat, pointing out that he would probably make a great dad and could give the little boy a wonderful life if he wanted to.

"Your right, I should" she answered Mac, shooting an apologetic look to Piz and clearing her lunch items off the table. "I'll catch you guys later"

She left the cafeteria and went in the direction she thought Logan would have went, but he was nowhere in sight. Obviously he was avoiding her. It didn't sway her from her mission; it just meant she'd have to corner him. It was time for some good old fashioned planning.

* * *

AN: Hey guys, I came across this story the other day while on a mission to finish all the unfinished things I have started over the past couple of years. I thought I would put a chapter up and see if anyone was still interested in this story. If I get enough response I'll gladly continue, with updates at least once per week. There is only about four or five chapters left in this before it's done and I had planned a sequel. Also I really don't like the name anymore, so if anyone can suggest a new one that would be great


	15. Conversations with Veronica

_**Bonnets and Booties**_

_**Disclaimer:**_ Not Mine, anything pertaining to the show belongs to Rob Thomas and the networks.

**Chapter Fifteen: **Conversations with Veronica

* * *

"Finally figured it out huh?" Logan's voice interrupted Veronica's thoughts as he strode over to the driver's side of the car she was standing next to. He pressed the keypad to unlock the door and had it open before she responded.

"Well l I wasn't even trying until today!" she retorted. She had spent the last week watching him come out of class and disappear, his car was never around. It was only today she had realised why. He was using Alicia's car. Veronica had often seen it in the car park but just thought Wallace had been using it.

"This has been ......nice, as always but I have a son who needs me so I'll see you around" he went to get in the car, but Veronica grabbed him on the arm, stopping him.

"Please Logan, we need to talk. Please." She pleaded with him.

"Ronnie" he sighed. He knew he would give in to her, he always did.

"Alright, but not here" he looked around for her car which was parked just across the lot.

"Follow me home, I need to relieve Alicia, she has to get to an appointment. He waited until Veronica was across the lot and in her car before starting his own and heading out. Every fibre of sense he had screamed at him not to do this, that it was better for him and Noah just relying on themselves and no one else. But he knew Veronica, when she wanted something there was no way she would take no for an answer.

A short drive later he had arrived at the gates to his house; he rolled down the window and quickly spoke to Travis, who was on the current shift, instructing him to let Veronica through but only this once. No need to give her a free pass unless he could really trust her and right now he didn't.

* * *

She parked her car behind his range rover and followed him in. His house was lovely and tastefully decorated. "Wow Logan, this looks amazing did you do all this?"

"He certainly did" Alicia answered her, smiling proudly at Logan. She had really come to respect the boy over the past three months. She handed Noah over to Logan. "He has just been changed and bathed, he just needs to be fed and he is good to go"

"Thanks Alicia" he cuddled his son to him, shifting him over his shoulder so it would be easier to fix his bottle one handed.

Alicia gathered her things and let herself out quietly, leaving Logan alone with Veronica and Noah.

He waited for the bottle to be just the right temperature and headed over to the couch, arranging himself comfortably with the babe in his lap, his head supported by a pillow. "Hold on little man" he told his son who was rooting for the formula. Logan placed a bib under Noah's chin, before giving him the bottle.

Once the baby had settled into a steady drinking pattern he looked at Veronica. "Well what are you waiting for?" his tone was light but his eyes stared at her intensely.

"Logan" Veronica sat on the couch opposite him and pulled a pillow into her lap, fiddling with the frilly edge while she spoke. "I need to know why you're doing this, I don't understand"

"You know why Veronica, because he is my son and he needs me" he stroked Noah's cheek. "There is no other reason. It's as simple as that"

"Come on Logan, we both know you're not his real father. Do you know who is?" she avoided meeting his gaze, expecting his rage again and for him to kick her out.

He stared at her coolly, resolve in his eyes. "Of course I _know_ Veronica. It's me" he smiled at her as if she'd just asked him what the weather was like.

"Ok, ok I get it. If this is something you want and it makes you happy I won't stand in your way, I just don't want to see you get hurt" she shifted off the couch to kneel in front of him and Noah, putting her hand on Logan's cheek "You've been hurt too much, I don't know how much more you can take"

"Ronnie" he whispered leaning forward, his free hand going up to run through her hair, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I love that you're worried about me, and I really hope it's for the right reasons and not some sick sense of fulfilment, I _am_ Noah's dad, the only dad he has known and he's a part of my life now, just like you will always have a spot in my heart, but the vindictive and vengeance shit? I'm done I can't be that person anymore" he sat Noah up and burped him. It was almost second nature now he had done it so many times.

The baby let out a big burp "That's my little man". Logan grinned at him before settling him back down and offering him the rest of his bottle.

"I love my son, Veronica. I need to be the best person I can be for him. He needs love, and stability. All those things I never had and I'm going to do my best to give them to him."

"I'm really glad you stopped by and we sorted this out. I'll give you some time to think about it and maybe if you're free you can hang out with us". He meant every word he said. He would really like to have her back in his life, but only if she was a positive influence on him.

"Thank you for talking to me Logan. You've given me a few things to think about. I'll call you" she ran her hands through his hair and stood up. Veronica turned to leave and then came back, bending over and placing a kiss on both Noah and Logan's head before heading out the door.

Logan realised this might be a permanent goodbye, but he really hoped it wasn't.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks guys for all the positve reviews it's great to know that everyone still wants to read this. Please review this chapter, reviews make me write faster. Veronica may seem slightly ooc for this one but it will definately be explained next chapter. Also thanks to Toshi for coming up with a great new name, i'm going to use it for the sequel..


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